WILD AFRICA

2.0

Copyright © 2016 Datamatic, S.C.

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoeverwithout the express written permission of the publisherexcept for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

First Printing, 2016

Datamatic, S.C.

www.bioexpedition.com

Texto: Karen Castillo.

Design: Sergio Góngora.

Editorial: Datamatic, S.C.

Images: courtesy of Pixabay and its respective authors.

All copyright of photographies belong to their respective authors, used under permission of Pixabay.

Bioexpedition and its logo are trademark of Datamatic, S.C.

AFRICA, A GREAT CONTINENT

Africa is a vast continent joined to Asia by a small portion of land. It is sometimes called "the cradle of humankind" because it humans started here and evolved over the course of millions of years.

This continent has an area of about 30 million square kilometers; which is more than three times the total area of the United States and represents 20.4% of the land area. Its 54 countries and several islands surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea are the home for thousands of unique and iconic animal and plant species, which dwell in forests,

savannas, deserts, swamps and several other biomes of this amazing continent.

Africa is also known worldwide for its variety of landscapes. It houses the Sahara desert, the largest in the world; the legendary Nile River, on whose banks flourished the ancient Egyptian culture; and the Congo jungle, the world's second largest rainforest, among many other biomes and ecosystems where thousands of wild species find more than shelter and food: their perfect home.

5

AFRICAN FAUNA

HippopotamusesHippopotamidae family

Hippopotamuses are among the largest and heaviest land animals in the world; although their massive body can give the impression that they are very slow, actually some can reach up to 30 km/h over short distances.

There are only two species left in the world, the common hippopotamus, who inhabit several sub-Saharan countries; and the pygmy hippopotamus, resident of Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Liberia. The common

hippopotamus is the largest with a weight of 1,300-1,500 kg on average and a height around 130-165 cm on average. Meanwhile, the pygmy species reaches up to 100 cm height and an average weight of 275 kg.

Excellent swimmers, they spend part of the night finding water plants to eat. Their enormous jaws open more than 150°, and sometimes nearly 180°.

7

They are the animals that cause more human deaths in Africa.

8

The DNA of these herbivore pri-mates is almost 98% similar to the human DNA.

Because of their physical appearance, gorillas were confused with people; even their name "gorilla" means something like "hairy person" or "tribe of hairy women." They are the largest primates in the world, and their body reaches a height up to 1.8 m and a range of weight between 70 to 180 kg. However, despite its intimidating appearance, they are peaceful animals not usually aggressive.

There are two species, each with two subspecies: the Eastern gorilla species has the mountain gorilla and the eastern lowland gorilla subspecies while the Western gorilla species has the Cross River gorilla and the western lowland gorilla subspecies. All of them feed primarily on leaves, fruits, seeds, and stems, but sometimes they eat termites, snails, ants, and caterpillars. They prefer to feed in the mornings and evenings, and they take a short nap at noon.

9

GorillasGender Gorilla

Gorillas are very social and live in groups of 20-30 members. The male "silverback" is the leader of the troop and is responsible for the safety and welfare of the group; in return, he receives the best portion of food and the exclusive right to mate with the adult females. They usually compete to be close to the leader, because it also implies protection to their offspring. When the "silverback" defends his family, he makes a show of power by standing on its hind legs, beating his chest with his fists and roaring loudly.

Gorillas grow slowly, and females usually give birth to only one offspring per litter. It is very rare to have twins. In the wild, they have a life expectancy of 35 and 40 years, but many gorillas in captivity exceed the 50 years.

Today, all gorilla species are in constant danger in their natural habitat by poaching, habitat loss and degradation, disease and armed conflicts that are developing in some African countries. Only 17% live in protected areas.

10

African Elephant

It is the largest and heaviest land mammal in the world.

The African elephant is one of the last remaining Proboscidea on Earth, after the extinction of mammoths and other species of this order. Their massive barrel-shaped body, short tail, long and thick legs, hooves and especially their large ears and long trunk make it one of the most distinctive mammals of African wildlife.

Their trunks allow them to hold objects, take food to the mouth and take water or dust baths. Two long tusks grow throughout their lives and are present in males and females. An adult reaches a height up to 3.96 m and weighs up to 10.4 tons. On average, they eat 225 kg of vegetation every day, part of which is not completely digested.

It is a very social animal whose structure builds on herds consisting of several related females and their offspring, while males live alone or in small groups of men. When a baby is born, the other female elephants gather around the mother and fondle the child with their trunk.

The African elephant is a species highly threatened by poaching, as their meat and especially their ivory tusks are highly valued. They also suffer from habitat loss. Currently, there is a lot of work to protect them, but it is probably not enough.

12

African ElephantLoxodonta africana

Their characteristic striped coat is black with white stripes, as the tests done in embryos show that the background color is dark.

There are three species of zebras, the plains zebra, the best known and familiar, the mountain zebra and the Grevy's zebra. They extend mostly in eastern and southern Africa and inhabit grasslands, savannas, thickets, mountainous areas, some forests and, in general, open areas.

They are relatives of the horses, but unlike these, they cannot be tame. They have a robust but agile body, short tail with a tuft of dark hair on top and a short black mane of white hair.

They reach around 1.3 m high and weigh 350 kg.

Zebras are very social animals and, except Grevy's zebras, they live in groups called harems composed of one stallion and up to 6 mares and their foals. All zebras have a herbivorous diet and must beware of crocodiles, lions and spotted hyenas, but it is the human their main predator, which hunt them for their skin and meat and destroys their habitat.

13

ZebrasGender Equus

"The king of the jungle" actually lives in savannas, grasslands, shrubs, and herbaceous semi-desert areas of most sub-Saharan African countries. The lion is the world's second largest cat only after the tiger and can weigh more than 250 kg and have a length up to 2.5 m from the head to the tail.

The lion is a typical example of sexual dimorphism, with distinct physical differences between males and females. Only males exhibit the thick, golden mane covering the area around the head. Both have a muscular body, fingers with sharp claws and fangs capable of tearing flesh in a few minutes.

LionPanthera leo

Although males tend to be dominant and eat first, females are the ones that go out for hunting. Their usual prey is medium to large mammals like impalas, zebras, wildebeests, buffaloes, wild boars and if given the opportunity, giraffes. If there is no other option, they are forced to capture rodents and reptiles.

Lions are known for being the only social felids because they live in groups known as prides with up to 6 females, two males, and their offspring. Male lions are excluded from their first pride while young to join another group or live alone or with other lions. Females are very dedicated mothers, and all cooperate to defend their cubs even when some males new to the pride, try to kill the offspring to guarantee their offspring.

Lions are threatened, although they have not reached and endangered status yet, they have already disappeared from most of its original distribution areas. They lack predators; however, they may be victims of man and other lions.

15

Africa is home to two of the "big cats" capable of roaring lions and leopards.

No bird is larger than the ostrich, which can

reach a height up to 2.8 m.

Among the flightless birds of Africa, the ostrich is the most famous. It inhabits arid and semiarid areas in countries such as Cameroon, Chad, Botswana, South Africa, Uganda, and Kenya. They feature a robust body, elongated neck, small head, long legs and weigh between 63 and 145 kg.

Although they lack the ability to fly, they move smoothly on land and reach speeds up to 70 km/h thanks to the powerful muscles of their limbs and the balance that give their broad wings. If they feel threatened, they attack the aggressor with dangerous kicks. Do they hide their head under the ground? It is just a myth, which may have originated in the distant vision of the bird looking for food.

Regarding food, the ostrich eats grasses, flowers, fruits and seeds, and in extreme cases scavenge. It can survive several days without water. During breeding season, males dig nests in the ground, and females lay large oval eggs that weigh between 1 and 2 kg. This weight is equivalent to about 24 chicken eggs.

The ostrich is not endangered, but its geographic range was more extended before and reaching the Arabian Peninsula.

16

OstrichStruthio camelus

Another flightless bird is the African penguin. This bird reaches up to 70 cm tall and weighs about 2.2-3.5 kg. Males tend to be larger than females, but this is not the only difference between individuals. African penguins have a layer of black and white plumage, black spots and a strip that runs across the upper chest. The pattern of spots is unique to each penguin.

They inhabit the ocean waters around South Africa and breed in at least 24 surrounding islands. Large colonies near the cities attract

millions of tourists every year to watch them; although most are shy, some approach people. Like other penguins, their favorite food is fish, but they also consume squid, crustaceans, and some other marine animals.

It is an endangered species because of the scarcity of food and human disturbance.

17

It is the only penguin species that inhabits the African continent.

African PenguinSpheniscus demersus

It is the national bird of Kenya, where it is one of the most common bird.

The Lilac-breasted roller beautiful and multicolored plumage, which includes blue, green and purple feathers, makes this an easy to identify species. It is a medium-sized bird with a robust body, which measures around 36-38 cm height and weighs on average 104 g. It inhabits southern and eastern Africa, where it is still abundant. It dwells on grasslands, but it also lives in some forests.

The Lilac-breasted roller is mainly insectivorous. Its favorite foods are crickets, beetles, grasshoppers and locusts, but it occasionally complements its diet with some amphibians, snails, scorpions, rodents and even small birds. It usually sings while hanging around tree branches.

It has a stable population. Therefore it is not endangered.

18

Lilac-BrestedRollerCoracias caudatus

The cheetah lives only in sub-Saharan Africa, but it has become extinct in many countries over the course of time. His incredible speed is the result of an anatomy built for fast movement: lean, muscular body, narrow waist, long tail and short legs. The tail, reach a length up to 60-84 cm and provides the necessary balance for its vertiginous hunts.

It is the only cat that lacks fully retractable claws. Most cheetahs reach up 70-90 cm height and weigh between 21 and 72 kg. They all have a short yellow coat with dark spots and stripes, and black lines from each eye down to the mouth. Some cheetahs suffer from a strange mutation that develops long strips from neck to the tail of their coat; these are known as "king cheetahs."

Cheetahs hunt during mornings and evenings to prevent other, slower but stronger predators, snatch their food away, and to prevent body overheating during the hottest hours of the day.

Cheetahs are one more animal of the African wildlife that is threatened as a result of the loss and fragmentation of habitat and poaching.

19

It is the fastest of all land animals. It can reach a speed up to 112 km/h for a short time.

CheetahAcinonyx jubatus

Their funny "laugh" is only part of their extensive repertoire of vocalizations, often issued while fleeing; although they have a reputation for scavengers most of the time, they prefer to hunt.

20

SpottedHyenaCrocuta crocuta

It is the world's tallest land mammal. Their name comes from the Arabic zarafah.

With their long neck and their beautiful spotted fur, giraffes are very famous worldwide despite they only live in Africa. They inhabit several contained areas of the continent in the south of the Sahara and live in open spaces such as grasslands, savannas and not dense forests. In the southern part of Africa, they are common in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

There are four species and nine subspecies of giraffe: The Northern giraffe, has the Kordofan, Nubian, West African and Rothschild’s subspecies. The Reticulated or Somali giraffe has no subspecies. The southern giraffe has the Angolan and the South African subspecies, and the Masai giraffe has the Masai and the Rhodesian subspecies. They all have small differences in their anatomy, such as the pattern of their coat or the color of the spots, but they share common characteristics like the horns made of ossified cartilage that males and females have at the top of their little head, known as ossicones.

21

GiraffeGiraffa camelopardalis

Giraffes sleep small time compared to humans: only about two hours every day!

The height of an adult giraffe exceeds 4 m. They can reach up to 5-6 m height, and males are taller than females. On average, males weigh around 1,200 kg, and females 800 kg on average. Most of the time they are seen peacefully eating leaves of tall trees, but when males need to fight each other to mate with a female, then they use their neck to hit each other at a extend that can cause death.

Giraffes spend a lot of time feeding, about 16-20 hours a day. They have no problem swallowing thorns, as their thick saliva and tongue allow digesting them without any problems. Their tongue has an impressive length of 45 cm, and it has a very dark purple color rare among animals, and it is prehensile, so it helps them to take branches or other objects.

Currently, this mammal is not endangered.

22

Two from the five species of rhinoceros that exist, live in Africa: the white rhinoceros and the black rhinoceros, whose skin is not exactly white nor black, but a shade of gray or brown, lighter in one species than the other. All belong to the order Perissodactyla or odd-toed ungulates.

African rhinos have two horns on the top of their snout, which are composed of keratin and the frontal is the longest. Both are rigid structures that use during physical confrontations and marking of

trees. A thick layer of skin protects their big body; although their vision is poor, they have an excellent smelling and hearing senses.

They are herbivorous; typically a solitary species and mothers usually give birth only one offspring per delivery. Rhino horns have become very demanded, almost like jewelry, as some people believe that they cure cancer and other diseases. Therefore there is an illegal trading of these parts although, this is not true.

23

They are the second largest land mammals in the world, and their front horn can reach up to 150 cm.

RhinocerosRhinocerotidae family

This small animal inhabits the arid zones of southern African and lives in large groups called clans, in which each member has a task. The lookout post is one of the most important since it is responsible for alerting the clan about the arrival of predators into their territory.

24

MeerkatSuricata suricatta

In the world, there are more than 260 species of monkeys, many of which live in Africa. This continent is home to the Cercopithecoidea superfamily, called Old World monkeys, which are distinguished by a large body size, small and close nostrils and lack of a prehensile tail, among some other physical features.

Many African monkeys have large pads on the back of their body, called ischial callosities, which change color during the mating season to draw the attention from the opposite sex. They can inhabit savannas, rocky plains, open forests, grasslands, shrublands and even sites populated by humans.

Africa is home to the blue monkey, green monkey, olive baboon, yellow baboon, black colobus and Angola colobus among others.

25

MonkeysPrimate order

The Mandrill is a good example of an old-world monkey.

The mandrill is the biggest monkey in the world, with a length of 110 cm, is a primate that inhabits the wetlands of West Africa including Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and southwestern Congo. Males are slightly larger than females and have long canine teeth.

The mandrill has a particular face, with a red nose on which sides the skin is bluish. It has gray to olive green hair, short tail and a prominent and colorful rear. They are very social primates that live in mixed groups up to 50 members, led by a male who usually stays away from its group to watch for a few hours and return if it detects any danger to warn the group.

An open mouth showing their large canines is not always a sign of aggression; on the contrary, this usually indicates a good mood and well-being. But if the mandrill strikes the ground, it is very likely that it is angry.

Their diet includes fruits, leaves, roots, seeds, buds, crickets, spiders, snails, ants and other invertebrates. If it has the opportunity, it can catch small antelopes.

The mandrill must be aware of predators like the leopard and the crowned eagle, and is threatened by anthropogenic factors such as habitat destruction and hunting.

26

MandrillMandrillus sphinx

Beautiful, but deadly. It inhabits East Africa, and it is arboreal. Its bite inoculates several toxins that can lead to respiratory paralysis.

27

Eastern Green MambaDendroaspis angusticeps

These ancient reptiles saw dinosaurs disappear since they have been roaming the Earth for 200 million years.

African crocodiles are famously fierce. They are semi-aquatic animals, excellent swimmers and fast on land. The second largest species in the world is the Nile crocodile, reaching a length up to 5.5 m. They have a hard skin covered by scales that resembles as resistant armor to protect the internal organs. Their tail has strong muscles that help them to have a better movement through the water.

Why do crocodiles spend a lot of time motionless with his mouth open on the banks of rivers? To get warm during the cold morning hours or cool off during the hottest parts of the day. Skilled hunters, they stealthily approach their prey underwater and attack it unexpectedly without giving them the chance to escape, holding it and taking it underwater to drown it.

28

CrocodilesCrocodylidae family

www.bioexpedition.com